Patricia McKenzie of Tamworth is worried that giving out pens to children in Vietnam may seem like a bribe to take photographs

I have just booked a two-week small group tour of Vietnam. What is the best
currency to take? And someone said to take pens for the children there — is
that the done thing?Patricia McKenzie, Tamworth

The Vietnamese dong can be purchased before you get to Vietnam, but the US
dollar is also widely accepted and the easiest currency to exchange once you
are there. There are ATMs, and most businesses take credit cards.

The second half of your question is a lot trickier. I was once in a remote
village and came across an American tourist handing out sweets to the local
children because “it makes them smile for my photographs”. Okay, for many
reasons that is a ghastly approach, but how about handing out pens? It’s
true that these are an appreciated gift, as ballpoints, notebooks and the
like are relatively expensive for poorer families. However, I’d suggest